Hey, Everything Is Just Peachy Keen In Iraq

Soldiers for the Truth ^ | Pissed Off Army Officer

[StatesEnemy]

Dear Col Hackworth,

I am currently on the ground in Iraq and have been since I came over the LD on 31 March.

While the Army did a great in winning the war, what is not being covered is how broke the Army logistics system is and the damage it is doing to the long term readiness and moral of the Army. The Army seems to have this NTC rotation mentality, which consists of f*** it live in the dirt and filth you only have to be here for a month. That works at NTC, but it seems no one has thought of how to sustain an Army in the field for weeks and months at a time. The answer has always been, "after a month or so, we will contract with the locals for everything."

The problem is that outside of a few areas in Kurdistan and the north, Iraq is so poor that there is nothing to contract for. Moreover, we don't trust the locals enough to contract with them even if they did have something of value. Units all over the Army came to Iraq without basic things necessary for life support in the field. I a m talking about portable sh*tters with cans that you can burn. You can't live somewhere and have everyone sh*ting in cat holes for weeks at time. Units came here without tents. The 855th MP Company, a guard company from Arizona was allowed to mobilize without any tents. They lived on the ground in the most God awful piece desert you have ever seen for over two weeks. Units came here without proper heaters for the water in their MKTs, so that when they started serving T rats, they didn't cook them enough and didn't clean the serving treys properly and everyone who ate from there got sick. If its not a life or limb issue, its nearly impossible to get medical care.

Soldiers get literally hundreds of flea or mosquito bites and they can't cream or benedril to keep the damn things from itching. The army issued mosquito netting, but didn't give anyone any poles for their cots, so the stuff is basically useless. I am not talking about bringing in the steak and lobster every week. I am talking about basic health and safety issues that continue to be neglected by the Army. Even beyond that. If we are going to be here for a year, we need to start thinking about MWR and R&R for people. You can't just lock people up in a compound and feed them T-rats and MREs for a year and expect them to be as effective at the end as they were at the beginning. To my knowledge no one has given any thought to any kind of pass or MWR activities for soldiers. Division staff sits around in their air conditioned vans watching satellite AFN goofing off on the internet and just don't give a shit about anyone else.

Meanwhile, soldiers are living in the dirt, with no mail, no phone, no contact with home, and no break from the daily monotony at all. I went to a division rear in May and practically got in a fist fight with this Captain up there over letting my private, who hadn't contacted home since we left the U.S., send an e-mail over his office's internet. This clown spends his days sending flowers to his wife and surfing the net and he won't let my private send an e-mail to her husband. F*cking disgraceful and all too typical of today's army.

The fact is, soldiers can put up with anything and will do the right thing. The problem, however, is that at some point they are going to go home and hit their ETS date. I can tell you right now, a lot of good people are going to get the hell out over this deployment. The good soldiers won't put up with this crap. They will get out and get good jobs on the outside. We are breaking the Army and the reserve corps with this deployment needlessly. I understood when the war was going on.

But the war is over. This is peacekeeping and guerrilla warfare. Our supply lines are clear. There is no excuse why basic health and safety issues and moral issues like mail cannot be addressed. They are not being addressed because the army doesn't know how anymore. Units spend their lives preparing for 2 week warfighters and one month NTC rotations and never think, "okay, how are we going to live out here for six months or a year." Its just not part of the Army's thinking anymore and it s a shame.

Pissed Off Army Officer

[Arkinsaw]

Look I supported the ousting of Saddam (for other reasons besides WMD's - he didn't live up to the surrender agreement in GWI, hence we were still at war, AFAIC), but this 'nation-building/hearts and minds' crap is NOT THE MILITARY'S MISSION!!!

Amen brother.

[slouper]

If this "Pissed Off Army Officer" is thinking about signing up for FR I think I have a handle for him/her, how about King Baby!

[Greenpees]

Ya Know,

This letter, I can tolerate. It comes from an Army Officer, and not a junior troop who's just bitching into the wind and he doesn't complain about being away from home, or about the danger of the mission. To me, he's not a crybaby. What he wants, is that the Army do it right.

I'm sure that this guy has approached his CoC on this issue and that's exactly why he's venting. He's not disparaging Bush, Rumsfeld or any higher, higher ups, and the people he is able to talk to, don't care or can't change it. He's simply saying "Take care of your damned troops, you senior officers!" ..and to that, I say they should move the heavens and earth to MAKE IT HAPPEN.

To the division staff that wouldn't let the Pvt send an e-mail to her family. Well, that is a true staff officer, a real "Army of One". The Officers in the field sure have a lot different life..they work along side the real soldiers every day, and they understand thier needs. Perhaps these Officers two should switch duties for a while.

[Miss Marple]

Well, I am not a miitary person, but isn't a shower in a wet climate like Viet Nam, a little easier to provide than one in a desert?

[Texas_Dawg]

And I'm sure President Bush and Rumsfeld, knowing what could come of their improperly treating our troops, are telling the leaders of the Armed Forces to let them know, first thing, if their are any problems. War sucks. No one wanted this one. But we are in it, trying to end it as soon as possible, and I think most of our soldiers realize that and don't gripe about an occupation that most understand is very honorable, but a calling they chose to voluntarily answer as well.

[StatesEnemy]

We didn't keep them impotent.

We could just set up a nice comfy base somewhere on the Iraq/Iranian border, with a 100 mile kill zone surrounding it. Have our predators scour from the skies, and just keep smashing any pockets of cockroaches that spring up - instead of sticking our troops in interminable MOUT positions, all in an attempt to alleviate Iraqi civilian misery.

I believe our soldiers lives are worth more than those civs.

[max61]

I'm curious, in your humble opinion, just who would you assign the current mission in Iraq? How about the Iraqi's, it is their country, or at least it was.

[Cyber Liberty]

I liked it. Thanks!

[max61]

How about sending some old fashioned "care packages" to our troops - could include bug repellant, bandages, etc...can anyone find out an address we could send to our men and women in uniform?

Or how about bringing the home, or would that be too humanitarian for your liking.

[Texas_Dawg]

I believe our soldiers lives are worth more than those civs.

I think most of them are smart enough to realize, that while in the short-term it's more dangerous for them than your brilliant idea, that ultimately this "kill zone" idea would just lead to the collapse of this area to lawlessness and endless war leading to far more American deaths.

[Texas_Dawg]

Or how about bringing the home, or would that be too humanitarian for your liking.

Absolutely. Bring them home... once the job is done.

[Arkinsaw]

Fvck rebuilding Iraq. Just keep it impotent.

You got it. If the Iraqis want to secure their freedom then they are going to have to get out in the street like they did in Romania, East Germany, etc. and put the thugs down by their own hand. If they want it, they can seize it. They just don't seem to want it that much.

We need to squat there in semi-permanent force protected bases with free fire zones around them just waiting for the devils to pop their heads up and congregate.

We can, fairly safely, prevent them from 1) exporting oil, 2) building palaces, 3) building prisons, 4) freely driving across borders, 5) building WMD factories, 6) building long range missiles. Those we can do. But guarding every streetcorner in Baghdad is a fool's errand.

[Cyber Liberty]

That sounds like a "forever" scenario. And, a sure-fire way to guarantee that Iraq will always need a few thousand (American) troops to keep it pacified.

[W04Man]

you are "dead" on.

[encm(ss)]

Friends:
We had a saying on the boats I served on that seems to me appropiate at the time and at this time. "A bitchin' sailor is a happy sailor."

After being submerged for 60 days, no showers, great chow we were very happy.

It sound like these guys are pretty happy, too.

[SLB]

Water there was no easier to come by. Ours had to be flown out to us in a 500 gallon trailer every day. 500 gallons for 100+ soldiers in not much when you consider that was used for cooking, drinking and showers. We usually got about a gallon or two for showers. Wet down, soap up and rinse off.

[swheats]

I can only hope this officer carbon copied this to military supply. /sarcasm

Seems there needs to be a turnover in the military supply department. Another group that didn't plan on success.

[StatesEnemy]

would just lead to the collapse of this area to lawlessness and endless war leading to far more American deaths

Ahhh... HELLLO???? I don't give a crap if Iraq falls into utter barbarism. I want to control the oil fields (hence make sure the profits do not end up in the hands of terrorists). I don't care about the infrastructure of Iraq. I don't care about the misery of the Iraqi people - they allowed that tyrant to stay in power, and have no one to blame but themselves.

Let the Blue Hats that answer to Kofi, peacekeep.

We're there for the protection of the American people. Period.

[boxerblues]

thanks Linda but I have enough troops to send packages to. I posted your link for others :)